Pipeline halted after much opposition

The pipeline was designed to bring natural gas from Pennsylvania through to what would become a major natural gas distribution hub in Dracut, Mass. Despite the promise of lower energy prices and more jobs, the project was widely opposed by people living in the communities where the pipeline was proposed; sparked mainly by environmental and eminent domain concerns.

Originally, Texas-based Kinder Morgan designed its Northeast Energy Direct pipeline to run mostly through Massachusetts until strong political opposition, including nearly the entire state Congressional delegation and Attorney General Maura Healey forced a change. In 2015, the company revised the pipeline plan to have a 71-mile section run through southern New Hampshire, including Brookline, Milford and Nashua.

While the company claimed the project would bring lower energy prices and more jobs to the region, many opponents said that the majority of the new jobs would be temporary, and end with the pipeline's construction. Opponents additionally said the company was set to send most of the natural gas overseas, and not for sale in the local energy market, and therefore not impacting New England's energy prices.

As the project progressed it picked up more opposition in New Hampshire and state representatives, led first by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a Nashua Republican, and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, a Democrat, reported they would not support the pipeline unless it was completely safe.

Local communities also responded, like Merrimack, where the town council voted to oppose the pipeline after meeting with Kinder Morgan representatives.

In the end, Kinder Morgan withdrew the plan not because of the public opposition, but because of low energy prices. The company shut down the pipeline project in April and pulled back its federal application in May, citing a lack of contracts that would make the project economically feasible. The company blamed this partially on the regulatory environment in New England, but in a statement put out after it voted to shut down the project, the company also stated that the already natural gas prices and other economic factors bit into the plans.

Damien Fisher can be reached at 594-1245 or dfisher@nashuatelegraph.com.